Summer Tanberry
"It's OK. I'm Summer... if in doubt, I am not the one that wears droopy hats and jumble sale dresses!" ―Summer Tanberry Summer Tanberry is the second daughter of Charlotte and Greg Tanberry, and step daughter to Paddy Costello. She appears in all of The Chocolate Box Girls series . She is the twin sister to Skye Tanberry and step-sister to Cherry Costello. In the later books, she suffers from anorexia due to her commitment to ballet, however this prevents her from fulfilling her career as a dancer. With her family's help, she manages to begin recovery. She often appears on Cathy Cassidy TV. Biography Early Life Summer was born to parents Charlotte and Greg Tanberry. She has a twin sister named Skye, an older sister called Honey and a younger sister called Coco. Before Summer's birth, her parents visited an island named Skye in the summer. Nine months later, on the 14th February, she and her twin sister were born and they were named Summer and Skye. From a young age, she and Skye became interested in dance, particularly ballet . Adults used to consider her and her sister adorable because of how alike they were. They were able to tell is the other one was upset and would often feel the pain, too. She became the best in her ballet class and friends with another pupil, Jodie. Her father was often away in London for work, which annoyed her mother. At the age of nine, her father, Greg Tanberry moved out of the house after constant arguing with her mother, Charlotte Tanberry. This made her older sister, Honey Tanberry lose her temper and become moody and argumentative. She and Skye once tried to call their father to ask him to come back when Honey had a tantrum and their mother broke down in tears, although he never would. Eventually, Skye dropped out of ballet which Summer believed was because she was upset about their dad leaving, although Skye had said that she didn't want to be in her shadow anymore. Soon after, Summer was offered a chance to audition for the Royal School of Ballet. Her father was scheduled to pick her up but he was late which panicked Summer and she ended up performing poorly. Her friend, Jodie had also auditioned but was turned away because she didn't have the body of a dancer, which she didn't understand. Summer comforted her about this although she didn't understand either. Cherry and Paddy's Arrival At the age of twelve, Summer's mother met another man, Paddy Costello, whom she knew from her art school days. Summer met Paddy when he came down to visit and was worried as to what his daughter Cherry would be like. She wrote her a letter, where she told her that she was interested in ballet and about her hopes and dreams. Very quickly, she became fond of Cherry and could see where she was being bullied by Honey. When Cherry lied about being a dancer previously, Summer could see through the lie easily and felt hurt by the fact that she would lie to her. Summer helps with the Chocolate Box business and the Chocolate Festival by playing the role of a chocolate fairy whilst being a waitress in the outdoor chocolate cafe and using her old ballet tutu's and slippers for costumes. When Honey argues with Cherry on the beach after the news that Greg has a new job, Summer discovers that Shay likes Cherry...and she likes him, too. She chases after Honey and tells Charlotte and Paddy what had happened on the beach. She is worried when Cherry doesn't come back from the beach and is relieved when Paddy finds her and Shay. Skye's Illness Summer attends the Halloween party in the town with her sisters, dressing as a ghost girl, like her twin. Summer and Skye tell their sisters and Alfie Anderson, who had joined them, Clara Traver's tale. Clara Traver's was their ancestor who, according to the story, killed herself when she wasn't allowed to be with her lover as he was a gypsy boy. It was said that her ghost haunted the village. That same night, Paddy finds a trunk full of Clara Traver's things in the attic which scares Summer because they had just been talking about her and it was also Halloween. Later on, she begs Skye not to wear the dresses and clothes from the trunk as she is terrified of them and had a nightmare about them. Slowly she begins to isolate her twin, giving her old items of hers and appearing to take up all of the spotlight, casting Skye in to the shadows. She does not realise that she is upsetting Skye, instead, she's thinking that her sister is drifting away from her and is getting too lost in Clara's story. She also manages to move up in dance sets to seniors. Summer stars in the Dance Schools Christmas production in her own class and has a small solo as well as performing with a group of small children as their helper. When one of them falls, she immediately comes back to help them, earning the respect of the crowd. During their thirteenth birthday party, when Skye collapses in the snow, delirious, Summer can tell something is wrong and immediately knows where to go to save her twin. They later reconcile over Skye's hospital bed. Rochelle Academy At her birthday party, Summer starts to date Aaron Jones, causing slight jealousy from her twin, Skye, and alienating Alfie, who is crushing on her. When she goes to her ballet class, Sylvie Rochelle invites her and two other students, Jodie and Sushila, to audition for her exclusive dance academy, the Rochelle Academy. Slowly, the pressure on Summer to succeed in this causes her to stop eating, especially when her mother, Charlotte, leaves for her honeymoon in Peru for three weeks, meaning she will miss Summer's audition. This all climaxes when Summer goes to the cinema. She feels faint and has to be taken home by Alfie. She carries on in this way up to the audition. Both Skye and Honey notice and try to stop her but they both fail. She gets to the audition fine and succeeds there, with Sylvie Rochelle telling her she'll definitely get in. One of the judges tells her she's very thin which eventually makes her think she has to carry on eating in the way she is now. When she finds Honey in the barn, she faints because of her eating habits however, people believe it is from smoke inhalation. While she is in hospital, it is discovered she has Anorexia Eating Disorder Recovery. Summer discovers she has anorexia and had to give up her place at ballet school in order to recover as she has to go the clinic a few times a week. Her mum has to call Rochelle Academy and tells them. In Coco Caramel, Summer says that she has earned back 1 Kilo, though Coco states in the book that Summer still looks as fragile and skinny as before. Personality Summer is described to be a girly girl, popular and pretty. She attracts lots of attention from boys and girls that want to be her friend. She is at a position where she can pick and choose friends, as she does in Marshmallow Skye at her thirteenth birthday party when she says mean things about Millie and Alfie, who were both trying to be her friend. She is used to getting everything her way and always being the top of attention, which is why she gets the thirteenth birthday party she wants and reacts oddly when Skye objects rather than blindly agreeing. She often looks down on people, including her younger sister Coco. For years, it had been Summer's dream to be accepted to the Royal School of Ballet and start her own dance school, although, in Summer's Dream, she realizes how dangerous her dream was as she wanted it more than anything, which lead her to become anorexic after what she had previously heard as criticism about one of her friends. She lets this dream go, along with her place at a ballet boarding school in order to recover and decides that she won't ever be returning to ballet. She is very strong and determined, although not always in the right way. Summer is also loyal and helpful, as she offers to help her grandma around the house when her parents go to Peru. She is creative as she can use her imagination to create passionate and expressive dances that follow a story. She is also a very interesting and exciting sort of person. Appearance Summer is described to be a beautiful, tall girl with a natural glossy look. In Cherry Crush, she has long blonde hair and blue eyes that she often tied back in either a plait or a ballerina bun. She was known to wear lots of pink and anything fashionable. It is possible that by the end of Summer's Dream, her style has changed slightly. Her favourite colour is known to be pink. Relationships Skye Tanberry Summer loves Skye more than anyone else in the world. Skye feels left out in Marshmallow Skye because she feels in Summer's shadow. Summer feels left out in Summer's Dream because Skye is too busy falling in love to look out for her. They can tell when something is wrong with each other. Summer knew that something was wrong when Skye disappeared at their thirteenth birthday and Skye knew that there was good news when Summer returned from her ballet class. Only Skye thought it was about the film but really Summer had a ballet audition which hurt her. They still get on even though Summer took Millie away from her for a short period of time. They had short fall outs here and there, but still remained extremely close, and always solved the problem in the end. Summer does get jealous when Skye and Cherry get close Coco Tanberry Summer looks down on Coco as the little sister and the weird one in the family. In Summer's Dream, she realises that Coco's actually more grown-up than she thinks because she is wearing lip gloss and eye shadow and blushing every time a good-looking boy walks past- when they are at a party. She gets on her nerves though because when she plays the violin, it annoys everyone in the house. Honey Tanberry Summer is very loyal to Honey. She sticks up for her even though she doesn't really know what's going on. When Summer tries to tell her to come home, it is revealed that Honey actually cares for her because she's noticed her eating disorder and says that it frightens her, but she blackmails Summer by making her lie about a sleepover or else she'll tell. Honey sticks up for her by saying that she invited everyone to a party except for Aaron, who she told to never show his ugly face around here again. At the party after Summer's audition, Summer finds Honey in the stables with a boy kissing and smoking. The boy runs off, but Honey drops the cigarette when they're arguing about Summer's eating disorder so they don't notice the stable catch on fire. When Honey realises that she almost let her sister burn to death, she tries to get a plane ticket to Australia but is caught by the police. When Summer returns from hospital, they talk together and realise that they were both looking for someone who would understand them, which turned out to be each other which when Summer realises she is more like Honey than she cares to think. Cherry Costello Summer is great friends with Cherry. She thinks that she's cool but would rather take Honey's side sometimes. When she first moves in, she sits with her and talks to her, like Skye and Coco but doesn't spend any alone time with her like the other characters do. Overall, Summer and Cherry are not as close as the others are to Cherry, but Cherry still offers her help Summer overcome her fears and problems.Summer is wary of Cherry and dislikes it when she and Shay get together. They do not have a strong bond. Charlotte Tanberry Charlotte is Summer's mother. They get on well and love each other. She supports her when she doesn't get into the Royal Ballet School and when she wants to audition for Rochelle Academy. When Charlotte and Paddy return from their honeymoon, the first thing she does is visits Summer when she's in hospital and tells her about everything that happened. Summer feels that she can confide in her, but doesn't want to when she's on honeymoon because she cares about her and doesn't want to interrupt/ worry her Mum. Paddy Costello Summer and Paddy get on well. There isn't much dialogue between them and she doesn't usually help out at the workshop unlike the other sisters (mainly Coco, then Cherry and Skye, but never Honey). He made a box of chocolates for her called Summer's Dream for her thirteenth birthday, giving Skye Marshmallow Skye chocolates. Both chocolate truffles contained each of the girls favourite flavours, which were strawberry and marshmallow. Greg Tanberry Summer knows that her father is hopeless. He doesn't really care about his daughters. When Summer and Skye called him when he first left, he told them that things weren't working between him and their mother. When he talks to them on Skype, he thinks that they are almost twelve, when in reality they were almost thirteen. As Summer approaches her ballet audition, she calls him but he doesn't really listen thinking that she's been given a part in a dance show. Summer is hurt by her Dad's actions, but soon comes to feel that she is better off without him around all the time. Alfie Anderson Initially, Summer is shown to be constantly annoyed and unimpressed by Alfie, who she labelled as the most annoying boy in the Western Hemisphere because of an incident in Reception Year when Alfie asked Summer to be his girlfriend, but ruined the entire thing by blowing a rasberry into her ear and making her drop her food. It is implied in Summer's Dream that she never got over that, which explains her frosty, often mean behaviour towards him. In Marshmallow Skye, it is revealed that Alfie was only ever trying to impress Summer and grab her attention this whole time, hence the practical jokes and clowning around. Summer's twin sister Skye discovers that Alfie has a caring, sweet side to him, and that his feelings for Summer are real and mature for a boy his age. He buys Summer a beautiful, silk hair clip and gives it to her anonymously, but Summer does not even pause to consider that it was from him. In Summer's Dream, it is found that, although Summer appears uninterested in Alfie, she certainly pays attention to him, contrary to what Skye thinks. She always notices and points out when he is in the room, and even starts to take note of his physical appearance, in a largely positive sense, referring to him as tall, with messy hair and kind brown eyes. This suggests that the foundations of their relationship was always there, although Summer hadn't realised it yet. As Summer's Dream progresses, her interactions with him become more and more frequent, and it is obvious that Alfie has a good effect on her. He is patient, loyal and encouraging, and the first person to notice Summer's burgeoning eating disorder. His personality is shown to be very different from Aaron Jones, who was dating Summer at the time, as Alfie loves Summer enough to care about her dreams. He wants Summer to go to ballet school, even though he admits that he will miss her. Once, when Summer faints, he holds her hand, and this simple gesture is surprisingly enough to steady Summer, showing that he is already starting to have an effect on her. He frequently calls her pretty and talented, and even refrains from telling Summer the truth about the hair clip, although it was clearly killing him to let her believe it was Aaron. Throughout the book, Alfie is the most considerate about Summer's illness, and even the only person to see it that Summer admits it to. In the end, it is Alfie who convinces her to ask for professional help. The first time he kisses her, Summer is shocked at how right it feels, and understands that Alfie was the right boy for her, all along. She is shown to trust him unconditionally, and he is the first person she turns to when she is upset. The only food she eats is the food Alfie gives her, because he understands her in a way not even Skye does. In the end, she hopes he will kiss her again, and when he does, it is clear they are a couple. The books ends with Alfie placing a carefully made daisy chain in her hair like a crown, signifying that he has taken over the hole in her heart which was for her father, and Summer believes that things will get better for her. Aaron Jones Aaron is Summer's ex-boyfriend. They got together at her thirteenth birthday party and broke up in the summer holidays. He gets possessive of her an she has had enough. He starts her eating problems by talking about her figure, making her go for lettuce leaves rather than pizza. He tells Alfie that she is watching her figure and that he is too, before throwing the pudding that Alfie offered her in the bin. He holds and touches her in a way that she doesn't feel comfortable with. He complains that she didn't answer her phone when she was in ballet, but covers it up by saying that she's here now. When she tells him about the audition, he starts complaining and saying 'What about us?' etc. He is the sort of person that likes to have a girlfriend that he can show off and one that can only visit in the holidays is no use. At one of the parties, he bets Alfie £10 that she won't get into Rochelle Academy. Alfie tells her. They dance together then Aaron comments that she's eating like a rabbit and scared like one too, also that there's nothing to hold onto. Summer drops his hands and breaks up with him. When Summer tries to participate in a scene in the film being shot at Tanglewood house, she sees Aaron there, with Marissa McKenna (a girl with a crush on him from the year above). He isn't seen since then but is mentioned when Honey claims to have invited everyone to a party except Aaron who she told to never show his ugly face around here again. Millie Millie looks up to Summer: she's more popular than Millie. She tries hanging out with her in Marshmallow Skye which hurts Skye but is closer to her in Summer's Dream when she looks out for her by noticing Aaron with Marissa and supporting her in her break up. She goes around with Summer, Skye and Tia as a group of four, but is closest to Skye as it has always been described that it's Summer and Tia, Mille and Skye. Tia Summer and Tia are best friends. They hang out together all the time. Tia supports her by saying that she was better off without Aaron and looking out for her as well. She complains that Summer had planned the most boring summer ever and scribbles FUN on the timetable. In the end, it is her who helps Summer through those difficult times. Trivia * Her favourite colour is known to be pink. * She hates Marshmallows as she believes them to be too sickly. * Along with everyone else, she thought that Alfie liked Skye, rather than her. * In Fortune Cookie, she got a dance teacher opportunity. * She has 3 sisters, 1 stepsister and a half brother. * She is identical in looks to Skye, but according to Cherry in Cherry Crush she has never seen 2 girls so alike, yet so different, relating to them dressing differently and having different likes and dislikes. * According to the actress who portrays her, her favourite sister is Honey, as Summer really looks up to Honey and Honey is very protective of Summer and she seems to be very fond of her. __FORCETOC__